One Week
by Maia Webmistress
Summary: Have you ever wished to turn back time? T.K. is dead, and Kari never got the chance to tell him the truth... until now. She is given the chance to relive one week... the week where everything happened. Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
1. Sorrows

**One Week**

Kari sat on her bed, thinking. She was in first-year college now, and living in a spare room of her sister's apartment, since it was closer to the college. She winced as she recalled the argument with T.K, barely a month before. She regretted her last words to him now. She had screamed that she hated him. Tears fell from her eyes as she recalled the look on his face, as if his world had shattered and there was nothing left.   
Now he was gone, and she had never told him the truth. She had never told him that she truly loved him, and now he was dead. Killed in a car crash about a week after their argument. She could still remember… 

-Flashback- 

It was a party, a private one, for the Digidestined to meet up again after five years. No one seemed really surprised when T.K. didn't show up, because everyone had somehow found out that he and Kari had had a spat. They figured that he could not see her. At around 10pm, Kari had felt something and gasped.   
Tai was worried. "What's wrong, Kari?"   
"I–I don't know," whispered Kari.   
The phone rang. Everyone stared at it apprehensively.   
"I'll get it," said Davis. He picked up the phone. "Hello? Yes, Yamato Ishida is here… Yes, we are his friends… What?" He went chalk white and spoke slowly and shakily. "Alright, I see…Thanks for telling us…Where? …Thanks, bye." He slowly put down the receiver and looked at everyone else. "That was from the hospital." He took a deep breath, and Kari saw that his hands were shaking. "T.K. is dead."   
Everyone stared at him in mute silence. Matt sat down hard on the nearest chair.   
"Oh my god," he whispered, burying his head in his hands. "T.K…"   
"How…?" asked Sora.   
"Car crash. Other guy survived." Davis looked like he was going to cry. He and T.K. had become close friends.   
"We'd better go home, Kari," said Maia quietly. "Tai, you'll drive to mom's house, right?"   
Her twin nodded. "I think we'd all better stay with our families tonight."   
"Alright then. I'll come home later." She turned to Matt. "I'll drive you home. I think your mom will probably be there, too."   
Kari hardly heard all of this, as the others made arrangements to get home to their families. She still felt numb with shock. 

-End Flashback- 

A quiet voice broke into her thoughts. "Kari? You going to bed?"   
It was her older sister, Maia Kamiya, twin sister to Tai. The older girl came and sat beside Kari. "You all right? Wanna talk?"   
"Okay…" Kari looked sideways at her desk, where there was a picture of her with T.K.   
Maia followed her gaze. "Still thinking about him, huh?"   
"I miss him."   
Maia sighed. "I know." She rose. "You should go to sleep, okay? You've got class tomorrow."   
"G'night." Kari curled up and pulled up the covers. Her thoughts drifted. Could she have changed that? Could T.K. have lived if she hadn't argued with him?"   
"I can help you…" said a soft voice.   
Hikari sat bolt upright. "Who's there?"   
"Only I." There was a slight shimmer in the air.   
"You…" said Kari. "I've seen you before… when I first went to the Digital World…"   
"I could help you… I can send you back to before the accident… if you wish. It may be dangerous…"   
"Please," whispered Kari, "All I want to do is to see T.K. again…"   
"So be it. You have one week."   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Maia: So how was that? I know it's probably sorta Mary Sue, but hey, I want to write this! Should Kari be able to save T.K.?? Tell me in your reviews! 

**another note** Sorry! Yes, I put myself in as an OC. Just a small character! Please don't flame me! I forgot to write this earlier!   



	2. Day One: Betrayal?

**One Week**

A/N: **sweatdrops** Ok, people keep asking me why I think Takaris are bad. Let me make this clear to everyone. I. Do. Not. Think. Takaris. Are. Bad. The thing about me going out of my mind is a joke between me and one of my friends. *waves fist at friend* I told you I could write one!! 

~ Day One ~ 

Kari stretched. "What a weird dream. I really shouldn't eat pizza just before bed." She yawned. "I wonder if T.K. will be at the beach?" She walked into the kitchen and saw Tai. _Oh, right, Tai wants Maia to do something for him._   
"Tai, I said no." Maia told him, cracking an egg into the frying pan. "Oh, good morning, Kari. You want eggs? I made extra."   
"Alright, thanks." Kari leaned on the counter, listening to her older siblings.   
"Please, Maia? I know you're not busy day after tomorrow… If you don't go, I can't ask Sora."   
"Tai, just tell her the truth!"   
"Maia… It'll seem weird if it's two guys and a girl."   
"So don't bring Matt."   
Taichi looked horrified. "I need him! He's my best friend!"   
"He's also Sora's ex-boyfriend."   
"Aw, Maia, that was almost three years ago. Besides, they're okay with each other."   
Maia sighed, folding the omelettes in half. "Two and a half. Tai, just tell Sora that you like her and get it over with." She put a plate of eggs in front of each of them. "Here. Eat."   
"But…"   
"You're a grown boy. You're in university. You can do things yourself." She winked. "You don't need your twin to help you with everything… but I'll be nice, just this once."   
"Really? You'll go?" Tai sighed with relief. "Thanks. You're the greatest."   
"No prob." She grinned and patted Tai on the back. "Hey, what fun are twins if you can't get one worked up about his girl?"   
Kari giggled. "Well, I gotta go. I'm going down to the beach."   
Maia gave a mock sigh of dismay. "Why can no one in this family ever face up to the people they like?"   
"Does that include you?" asked Kari teasingly, pulling on her shoes.   
"Of course."   
Kari laughed, and ran out the door. 

~~~~~~~ 

_It really is a beautiful day,_ thought Kari. I_ really hope T.K. comes._   
"Hey, Yolei!" Kari yelled to her friend, seeing Yolei coming down the beach.   
Yolei waved, pulling her boyfriend Ken along. He was laughing, and talking to Davis. Slightly behind them, T.K. was talking to a blond girl, and as Kari watched, she threw her arms around T.K and kissed him on the cheek. T.K. reddened and laughed. Davis seemed to have started teasing him.   
Kari was shocked. Another girl had kissed **her** T.K. She just couldn't believe it. He hadn't even seemed to mind.   
She ran, tears streaming down her face. All she wanted was to be alone to cry. T.K. loved a girl, but it wasn't her. "I hate him!" she sobbed, sitting down at a bus stop. She buried her face in her hands and cried. 

-----------------------------   
Back to the others…   
----------------------------- 

"Susan, there's no need to overreact," laughed T.K. "Just because I said we would take you to that movie you wanted to see."   
Susan grinned. "Thanks a bunch, T.K. I thought no one would go with me."   
Davis poked T.K. with a sly grin. "So you've got a new girlfriend now?"   
T.K. turned red. "Lay off, Davis. She's my cousin."   
Davis chuckled. "I know. You're so _touchy_. That's what makes it fun to tease you."   
Ken turned to them. "Hey, will Kari be okay?"   
"What?" asked T.K., looking around for Kari.   
"She ran away. I thought you saw."   
"Oh, Kari…" whispered T.K. 

~~~~~~~ 

The apartment door slammed into the wall. Kari ran in, her face tearstained, and disappeared into her room. 

~~~~~~~ 

Maia: Chapter for no purpose except to tell you how it begins. Heh. Some Taiora.   
*stares at old episodes of Digimon* NOOOOO!!! TAIORA FOREVER!!! (and Takari)   
Argh! Writer's block!! *sweatdrops* So many fanfics to write, so little time! *runs away on a super sugar-high*   



	3. Day Two: Rejection

  
Maia: .....blah. That's how I feel. Sorry it took so long for this short chapter, but I just finished it. o_o" Yeah, writer's block is bad. I'm sorry this chapt. kinda... goes off the plot, but I couldn't think of anything for this day.   


**One Week**   


~ Day Two ~ 

There was a tapping on the door. "Someone get that!" Kari yelled. Realizing that her sister was still sleeping, she hurried to open it.   
She pulled the door open and came face to face with… T.K.   
"Kari-" he said softly.   
Kari's eyes flashed. "Get out." Her voice was soft and deadly.   
"Kari, I-"   
"Go away and get out of my life!" she screamed, and slammed the door in his face.   
T.K. was left standing outside, plainly in shock.   
"Kari, I'm sorry… whatever I did, I'm sorry… Kari…" 

~~~~~~~ 

Gennai pushed back the hood of his robe. "Is it really necessary to put the children through all that pain again?"   
The other hooded figure looked at him sternly. "It is like the first time again. It all depends on Hikari's choice."   
Gennai sighed. "It just seems so painful for them."   
"It is as it must be, if they will learn." 

~~~~~~~ 

T.K. walked out of the building, a picture of abject misery.   
Davis patted him on the back. "You okay, man?"   
T.K. sighed.   
"Guess not. Cheer up, we all know she loves you."   
"I don't know… she never said…"   
Davis sighed. "Girls… who understands them?" 

~~~~~~~ 

Kari sobbed. She really cared for T.K. Maybe she even loved him. She wasn't sure herself. She heard a radio turn on outside, blaring at full volume. 'Complicated,' by Avril Lavigne. It described her feelings perfectly. Everything was just… so painful. Confusing. She lay back on her bed, brooding. She didn't know what she felt. She must love T.K. if her heart felt as if it were tearing in two.   
_Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?_   
Couldn't have put it better herself.   
She heard an alarm go off in the next room. It was Maia's snooze alarm, going off for about the hundredth time. Her sister groaned, and Kari heard shuffling before Maia appeared in her door, looking dishevelled and sleepy. "Never ever go on ICQ until three in the morning, then attempt to get up at six-thirty to do things." Having passed on this piece of wisdom, Maia went to get some cereal for a 10am breakfast.   
Kari shrugged, and went back to her thoughts. 

~~~~~~~ 

An hour later, Kari was still pondering, when she heard a knock on the door. She got up and opened the door, grateful for the distraction from her misery. She smiled up at Matt. "Hi."   
He grinned. "Hi, Kari. Where's your sister?"   
"And would this, pray, be the reason for you dropping in?" Maia leaned out her door, holding up a CD. Annoyance was showing plainly on her face.   
He raised an eyebrow humorously. "Maybe." He flourished a rose he was holding and handed it to her. "But I also wanted to remind you not to be late for the double date tomorrow."   
Maia groaned. "Is THAT what Tai said? Remind me never to do another favour for him ever again."   
The boy laughed. "Relax. We both know that it's just a scam for Tai to ask Sora out."   
"But does Tai know it? That's the question."   
"What's that?" asked Kari, looking at the CD Maia was holding.   
The older girl glared at it. "The main reason I was up until 3:00 am." She transferred her glare to Matt. "If you're going to ask our good friend Koushiro Izumi to finish some last-minute mixing for you, kindly don't ask him to drop it off at my place on his way to the airport. I may help you out with your band sometimes, but you're the one who wanted him to finish this."   
Matt looked sheepish. "Sorry. But you lived closest, and I thought… Well, sorry."   
Maia simply sighed, and handed him the CD. "Here. I have to phone Tai now, and keep him from panicking. See you tomorrow."   
Matt grinned, giving them a wave, and strolled down the hall. 

~~~~~~~   
  


Maia Webmistress: *Is juggling a pair of clubs* These will help me decide whether T.K. will live or die. *smiles evily* Whichever I drop first will be his fate.   
Metabee: Your clubs say IE and Netscape.   
Maia: ...... ^_^" *accidentally-on-purpose drops clubs on Metabee's head*   
Metabee: *on floor* Woah. Did anyone get the license number of that truck? @__@   
Rokusho: *Hands Maia another pair of clubs*   
Maia: Thank you. I have some writer's block again and schools coming up, so it might take another long time for the next chapter to go up. Ciao, y'all, and see ya in the next chapter!   



	4. Day Three: Confusion

Maia: ...Curse writer's block.....lousy chapter...... 

~ Day Three ~ 

"Tai, stop pacing around my apartment. You're going to wear a groove in the floor." Maia idly watched her brother pace and babble. The phone rang. Maia sighed. "Kari, can you calm him down a bit? That's probably Sora."   
Tai went mute at the sound of the name.   
Maia rolled her eyes and disappeared into her room. Kari could hear her voice over Tai's strange silence. "Hi, Sora… Yeah…Well, Tai's bringing his best friend, so I thought I would bring mine…uh huh…No, why would you think that?…OK, later." Maia hung up and returned to the sitting room. "Sora asked if we were trying to get her and Matt together again. I wasn't about to tell her that Tai wanted to ask her out." The girl sat, looking harassed. "Tai, will you stop pacing? The movie isn't even until this evening!" 

~~~~~ 

Another phone rang. "I'll get it!" T.K. yelled to no one in particular. His mother and Susan were out shopping. He grabbed the phone, which was ringing frantically. "Hello, Takaishi residence."   
"Hey, T.K. How are you?"   
"Matt! Okay, I guess."   
"Only 'Okay, I guess?' What happened to the excitement of having your favourite cousin over?"   
"Huh? Oh, Susan? She's nice, but…"   
There was a pause on the other side of the line. "Girl trouble?"   
T.K. nearly jumped with surprise. "How'd you guess?"   
Matt chuckled ruefully. "I've had that feeling before, believe me. Want to come over and have a man-to-man talk? I'll make us lunch."   
T.K. smiled at the thought. "Is it any better than when you were in high school?"   
His brother paused to consider this. "Maybe we should just get takeout."   
T.K. laughed. "Sure. At your apartment, then? I'll be there in about half an hour." 

~~~~~ 

"Tea?" Matt handed his brother a mug of Japanese tea.   
"What's the occasion?" T.K. smiled and accepted it.   
His brother sat down opposite him. "So?"   
"So, what?"   
"You know what I'm talking about."   
T.K. leaned back in his chair. "I really have no idea why she's mad at me."   
"You sure about that?"   
"Positive. I tried talking to her yesterday, and she just slammed the door in my face. It's getting frustrating."   
Matt frowned. "Have you tried getting someone to ask her for you?"   
"I guess I should… but I really wanted to find out myself."   
"In that case, I have only one suggestion."   
T.K. looked up.   
"Corner her and ask her straight out."   
The younger boy nodded. 

~~~~~ 

Maia leaned back in the drivers' seat, absently watching her brother leap out of his seat to open Sora's door and he courteously helped her out. "Such a gentleman," Maia muttered to herself. They seemed to be content, at least.   
She was jerked out of her thoughts by a tap at her window. Matt opened her door, and grinned at her. She rose, slamming the door behind her. "A gentleman indeed." 

"What movie?"   
Tai shrugged at his sister. "I dunno. What d'you think?"   
Maia closed her eyes slowly, a look of extreme annoyance creeping across her face. Sora stepped in hastily before the other girl could completely lose her temper.   
"How about that one? It looks good."   
They turned to look.   
"Othello." Maia said out loud. "Yuck. Sounds like I'm back in English class. Wasn't that some play by Shakespeare?"   
"Then how about that one?" Matt nodded towards another poster.   
It was a James Bond movie. "Sure, why not?" asked Tai.   
"Then let's go!" Sora told him.   
"Hey, relax… people might think that you have a crush on James Bond…"   
Sora grabbed his arm and pulled him into the movie theatre. 

~~~~~ 

Dinner in a nice restaurant. Sora and Tai were chatting easily about the movie. Maia was absentmindedly calculating the bill, wondering how they could split it, and Matt was brooding on the idea of his best friend going out with his ex-girlfriend. _At least they seem to be getting along._

_Hope T.K. can fix his girl problem._

~~~~~   


Maia:.......sorry about the long wait for a bad chapter. I may explain some things later....*shrugs*   



	5. Day Four: Conflict

Maia: Hi everyone! Just a side note about the 'Othello' reference in the last chapter... Othello is some guy in a Shakespeare play who goes crazy and kills his wife because he thinks she's been unfaithful. Sound famillar? Anyway, this is my holiday gift to all you people who actually read my stuff! A new chapter of this fic, and the two chapters in 'Curse' which wrap it up. Have a great holiday, everyone!   
  


~ Day Four ~ 

"Alright, Hikari-chan, what is wrong with you?" asked Maia, using her pet name for Kari, "You mope around the apartment, you lie on your bed and stare at nothing, and you don't even want to go shopping for new school clothes. You are going to college in the fall."   
Kari shrugged. "Later."   
"No, not later. What's wrong?"   
"Nothing." The phone rang and Kari picked it up. "Hello?"   
"Hello, Kari? It's Yolei. Do you want to come over later and watch a movie with us? We're going to rent something, and it'll be kinda like a party."   
Kari smiled slightly. "Not today, Yolei. Why don't you watch it with Ken?"   
"Come on, Kari! It'll be one of the last things before classes start. We might as well enjoy ourselves all together."   
Kari moaned and complained, but finally gave in. "Tonight, then."   
"Great! We'll see you!" The phone clicked and the dial tone resounded in Kari's ear. If she was going to hang out and enjoy herself with friends later, why did she feel that she had just sealed her fate? 

~~~~~ 

"I'm going out later!" Kari called to Maia.   
"Uh huh."   
Kari looked into the kitchen. "Where's Tai? Wasn't he coming over today?"   
Maia finished her drink and raised an eyebrow at Kari. "Yes, he was coming but he… has made other plans."   
"Other plans…Oh, I see… Sora, huh?"   
"Yep. Finally struck gold."   
Kari smiled widely. "So when's the wedding?"   
Maia laughed. "Don't rush things! Give them a few months at least!" 

~~~~~ 

The phone rang. T.K. hesitated before picking it up. He didn't want another telemarketer yapping in his ear about how good their product was… but then again, he could always just hang up. He picked it up. "Hello? Oh, Yolei! …Sure, that sounds good…" He glanced over at his cousin, half curled on the couch, watching some show. "Hey, could Susan come? …Great! That's really nice of you, Yolei. …Okay, bye." The phone clicked as he hung up.   
"Hey, Susan, you want to go hang with some of my friends tonight?   
She looked up. "Sure, why not? They're nice, right?" 

~~~~~ 

Gennai let out his breath in a long hiss. "The storm is rising."   
The other raised an eyebrow, unseen within the deep shadows of its hood. "That depends."   
"Obviously. When have destinies ever really been fixed?" 

~~~~~ 

Kari grabbed onto one of the poles as the bullet train gave a lurching start. She had still not been able to shake that sense of foreboding that continued to nudge at her. "I'm going to be late!" she whispered to herself. Why had she waited so late to catch the train? "Come on, come on…" she muttered, "Hurry up…" The train hummed down the tunnel into the darkness. 

~~~~~ 

Davis was lounged across an easy chair, lazily tossing popcorn into his mouth. "So, when're they coming?" he mumbled around a mouthful of popcorn.   
Yolei glared at him. "They'll be here soon. I don't see you helping." She pulled the cushions straight on the couch.   
"Sorry."   
She sighed disgustedly. "It's all right. I'm done anyway."   
Cody and Ken came in the back door. "Hey, Yolei," called Cody, a pile of DVDs and videos in his arms, "are these movies okay?"   
She went over to look, just as the doorbell rang. "Davis, could you get that?" she yelled back at him.   
"…Sure…" The boy jumped upright and strode over to the door. Yanking it open, cursing the stiff hinges silently, he grinned at T.K. "Hey."   
"Hope you guys don't mind that I brought my cousin."   
"Bring her in, T.K.!" Yolei said, coming to the front door. "She's welcome too."   
Susan smiled shyly from behind T.K. "Thanks very much."   
Yolei beamed, every inch the gracious hostess. "No problem. Come in!" 

~~~~~ 

Kari sighed. The train had eventually got to the station, despite stalling once on the way. Why did she seem to be having so much bad luck today?   
"Yolei?" she called, knocking on the door.   
The door opened, and Yolei peeked out. "Oh, hi, Kari!"   
"Sorry I'm late. I missed the first train and the second one stalled. Is everyone else– "   
She stopped, staring past Yolei into the room. The group was having a popcorn fight, pretty much Ken and Davis versus everyone else, but that wasn't what had made Kari freeze in her tracks. She was staring at Susan and T.K. With one arm, Susan was blocking the popcorn from Davis and Ken who were using the easy chair as their defences. With the other arm, the blonde girl was hugging T.K's arm tightly. He shook himself loose, which made Kari relax slightly, but draped an arm around the blonde's shoulders as she put a hand on his shoulder.   
Kari stiffened. Storming over into the middle of the room, the popcorn stopped flying. She halted in front of T.K. He suddenly realised why she looked so furious. "Kari–" he began, removing his arm from around Susan's shoulders.   
"Save it." She glared at him, and slapped him across the face. "Player." Turning on her heel, she ran out the door, leaving a very stunned group behind. 

~~~~~ 

Maia: Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays everyone!   



	6. Day Five: Eye of the Storm

Maia: I must be crazy. I woke up at 12:15am last night with my brain screaming "WRITE! WRITE! NOW!" Probably one of my muses. Oh well. Who an I to argue with them? I really didn't think I'd finish another chapter before Christmas. *shrugs* This is basically a nothing chapter, because this day is basically very unimportant. Blah.   


**One Week**

~ Day Five ~ 

T.K. stared sideways at the phone, half hoping that it would ring. He really needed to talk to Kari, and explain what had happened last evening. He had given her time to cool off, but she still hadn't called. Sighing, he picked up the phone, and dialled her number. The phone rung in his ear, and was finally picked up by an answering machine with a tinny voice.   
"Hi, you have reached the home of Kari and Maia Kamiya. Neither of us is in right now, so please leave a message after the tone." T.K. took a breath to record his message, but was interrupted by a hasty continuation, obviously a last-minute hasty addition recorded by Kari: "But if you're T.K. Takaishi, I hate you and I never want to speak to you again. Don't even try."   
He stared, open-mouthed, at the phone. Grimly hanging it up, he sighed again as he thought about why Kari was so mad at him. It was all a simple misunderstanding, really. He hadn't known that she could get so jealous. He had only just realised why she had been so angry with him for the past few days. 

During the popcorn fight, when Susan had released his arm so she could pick up more popcorn to hurl at Davis and Ken, she had unbalanced slightly, even from her kneeling position, and had grabbed his shoulder for support, at the same time that he had put an arm around her shoulders so that she wouldn't fall backwards. 

Unfortunately, Kari had somehow inevitably chosen that moment to come in the door and see everything. 

Same thing with the kiss that Susan had given him. It had been meaningless, just in relieved thanks to her cousin for being nice. 

Nothing even close to anything he wanted to share with Kari. 

If love was blind, jealousy had to be blind, deaf, but certainly not mute all in one sweep. 

~~~~~ 

Maia held up a sweater to Kari. "This will look nice on you, don't you think?"   
"Mm," was Kari's response.   
After they had paid and were walking out of the store, back into the mall, Maia paused. "You sure that you don't want to tell me why you get all happy about going out, then stomp back in half an hour later with a glare that would turn a forest to desert? I know how long the ride to Yolei's is, and you couldn't have spent more than about two minutes there before turning right around to get back that fast last night."   
Kari's glare probably could have turned a forest to desert right then, but seemed to have little effect on her elder sister. "Nothing happened. I just felt like coming home."   
Maia's tone told Kari loud and clear that she wasn't buying a word. "Whatever you say, Kari. Just remember, we are having that anniversary party in a couple days, so you might want to fix up squabbles before then, just to clear the air."   
The younger girl scowled. If T.K. brought that new blonde girl that he seemed to have fallen for with him to the anniversary celebration, she might want to do more than just slap him. "Sure. Whatever you say." 

~~~~~ 

T.K. scowled at the phone. If Kari was home, she would either just hang up when she heard his voice, or she would scream at him and hang up without letting him get a word in edgewise. If he got the answering machine, Kari wouldn't even listen to his message. 

Jealousy could be a thousand times more stubborn than love. Or maybe that was just in females. 

T.K. threw himself back in his chair. She hadn't been this stubborn when they had been kids, had she? 

Or maybe love was just blind. 

~~~~~ 

Maia: I think I need more sleep. Or at least muses that don't give me ideas in the middle of the night and then make me turn on my computer to write when I'm trying to sleep... Happy Holidays!   



	7. Day Six: What was meant to be

Maia: Sorry about the wait. *shrugs* My computer decided to have a hissy fit on me, as well as this chapter being longer than the rest. Be good readers, and thank Sephira and Silverwing for helping me out.   
Metabee: I think you've found your true calling, Maia.   
Melanie: *snorts* What? In being a crazy idiot?   
Maia: *smashes Melanie with an anime mallet* I resent the 'idiot' part. Just to clear things up, the stuff in italics in this chapter are actually the people chatting online.   
Rokusho: If you're all finished...   
Maia: Right! Go read, people! ^__^   


~ Day Six ~ 

"So what do you want me to do? It's not like I have total command over my little sister. If she doesn't want to talk to your brother, I can't make her."   
"Look, Tai, I only asked because Mom called and told me that T.K. is just wandering around their apartment looking all confused and bummed out."   
"Well-"   
"Hang on Tai, I've got a message." Matt swivelled his chair over to the computer. "Maia says that she'd like to chat with us."   
"Why didn't she send me a message?" complained Tai, logging in and tapping the message out on the laptop.   
"_Because you are never on the computer, brother. I had to message you guys because Kari's glaring at the phone and if I go near it, she glares at me suspiciously. At least this way she can see I'm only talking to you two. So, what should we do about the… situation?_"   
The two boys looked at each other and shrugged.   
"_Has Kari been sad at all?_" Matt asked.   
"_Pissed off, actually. But I think she's just jealous._"   
"_Jealous? Why?_" asked Tai.   
"_I dunno. Looks like jealousy to me. I think it's something about T.K._"   
Matt cut in. "_Then there's only one solution to it, huh?_"   
Maia grinned. "_Rendezvous. Let's see how much they like it. Know any good places?_" 

~~~~~ 

"Come on, Kari. I need you to help me find a good place for the party. Everyone else is busy!"   
"Ask Maia."   
"She's already gone! Come on Kari, you know I stink at this stuff. You're the planner in the family." Tai groaned inwardly. This was going to be harder than he had thought. Persuading his little sister was best left to Maia, but she had told him that it would seem less suspicious coming from him.   
Kari sighed, but who could stand up to so much flattery? "Fine." 

~~~~~ 

T.K. trailed along miserably behind Matt. It had just recently really hit him how much he missed Kari. "So why am I here, Matt?"   
"So we can go out to lunch and scout out good places for the anniversary gathering tomorrow."   
T.K. just sighed. 

~~~~~ 

Maia quickly dialled Tai's cell phone. "You ready?"   
"Where are you?"   
"That nice little country-seeming place, you know, on the hill. Cody's friend is the manager and I think we're okay for the rendezvous."   
Cody gave her a thumbs-up from where he was talking with the manager and nodded.   
"Okay, confirm that, Tai. We're good to go. I'm going to call Matt."   
"We'll see you then." Tai put away his cell phone and glanced at Kari, who was looking slightly sullen.   
"Maia thinks she's found a good place, and we'll meet up with her there."   
Kari nodded, and looked out the window. 

~~~~~ 

"They call this a corridor?" Maia asked Cody, closing her cell phone.   
He shrugged. "If the connecting door is open, it basically is a corridor."   
"Two rooms connected by a door that locks?"   
"Don't forget that the other doors lock too."   
Maia grinned slowly. "You know, this might just work. Which side does that connecting door lock from?"   
Cody raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "I get your gist." 

~~~~~ 

"They here?" Maia looked out the right side door. She had expected Tai to get there first, but it was Matt who grinned at her instead from the door, with T.K. in tow.   
"It's all the same in the end, isn't it?" asked Cody, fingering the keys that the manager had lent him.   
She looked at the boy. "Cody, sometimes the way you seem to read minds really scares me."   
He shrugged in answer. "This'll probably work better anyway."   
Matt strolled over to them. "So what's the plan?"   
"You'd better listen, because I'm only saying this once." 

~~~~~ 

The manager was there to meet Tai and Kari at the door. "Cody wished me to give you the tour."   
"Cody?" Kari asked Tai.   
He shrugged. "Maia did say that Cody knew some people."   
Kari rolled her eyes. Leave it up to Tai to only remember some detail at the last minute.   
"This used to be a manor, dating back to the early 20th century…" 

~~~~~ 

"Remind me to thank your friend Andy when he comes back, Cody. It was really nice of him to agree to distract Kari while we worked stuff out."   
"Actually, he likes to give tours," replied the younger boy.   
Maia frowned at T.K., who had just entered. "Now, T.K., you just stay put, okay? We're giving you the chance of a lifetime, so try not to blow it. You've got to explain everything." 

~~~~~ 

"…And this is the hall which Cody and Maia have asked you to consider for tomorrow night." The man's wide sweep of the arm somehow managed to take in the immense room in one go. "Please see me if there are any questions. They are in the room on the left."   
When Tai and Kari walked into the left-hand room, Maia was standing in the middle of it, frowning at a sheet of paper. Her eyes flicked up for a second, then lowered again. "Tai, I need to talk to you about these prices."   
"Right," agreed Tai absently. "Should we discuss with the manager too?"   
Maia nodded. "Kari, Cody's in the next room if you want to talk to him."   
It was obvious that they didn't want to discuss money around her, as they both worked at part-time jobs outside the school year, and she didn't yet.   
She stepped through the connecting door, and didn't even notice the click as the door closed behind her. She was too busy staring at what was in front of her. The girl bit her lip, glaring at her player ex-not-quite-boyfriend, T.K. Turning, she scrabbled for the doorknob. 

~~~~~ 

"What do you mean, 'the door locks from the OTHER side?!'" Maia threw herself against the door, just barely slamming it shut again. "You two work it out!" she yelled through the door.   
"Sorry," Cody said sheepishly. "Andy said it locked from the left side. Turns out he meant the left when you're facing the outer door."   
Matt shrugged. "Hey, at least they're in the same room." 

~~~~~ 

When Kari had pushed the door, it seemed almost as if something had… changed… somehow. She could seem to remember the door opening and she had ran, but yet… it seemed hazy, like a hope of what could have been. That was all it had been. Wasn't it? 

~~~~~ 

"So in the end, it all came down to keeping one door closed…" Gennai seemed lost in thought.   
"Not only that, but all the other little factors that led to it as well, Gennai. That has always been the way of things. The smallest thing can make all the difference. The future is yet to be written…" 

~~~~~ 

"Kari, just listen to me!"   
The girl coldly walked around the room, avoiding T.K. as much as possible. She had tested the doors. One was locked, and one wouldn't open. She assumed that the others were leaning on it to keep it closed, or had wedged it shut somehow.   
"Kari-" Seeing that Kari was steadfastly ignoring him, he decided to give up pleading. Time for a more direct approach.   
"Kari, listen to me." He spun her around so that he was gazing straight into her eyes. "Kari, this week… it's all been a massive misunderstanding. The blonde girl you saw me with was my cousin who is visiting Japan."   
She stared at him, momentarily unable to speak. From the look in her eyes, she believed that he was lying through his teeth. She opened her mouth, probably to announce that he was a liar as well as a player, but was forestalled by T.K. placing a gentle finger against her lips.   
"Believe me, Kari. I love you, only you, and that's true forever."   
"I…don't… believe you…" Her eyes were wavering, hanging onto the last shreds of doubt, almost completely destroyed by his quiet words   
But even that last scrap of anger was swept away as his lips met hers and everything else around them ceased to exist. 

~~~~~   


Maia: *rubs hands together* Soon the final chapter will be up... Review! ^__^   
  



	8. Day Seven: Face to Face with Destiny

Maia: Final Day. Fate collides with everything- but what will be the final outcome?   
Gomen nasai! I am a little late putting this up. I was a little later finishing this than expected... and my internet hates me... XP   
(I had this finished a MONTH ago, but as I said, my internet hates me, or FF.net hated me for a while, and I just finished a huge project for one of my courses. Video! ARG! FF.net hated me!) 

~ Day Seven ~ 

"Feel better?" Tai grinned at Kari.   
She glared at him, but could not defy her brother's infectious smile. "You set us up, didn't you, Tai."   
"A conspiracy," Maia replied absently. "All for the best."   
"How can a conspiracy be good?"   
"When it stops your sister from arguing with your best friend's little brother, it's very good." Tai shrugged lazily.   
The two older siblings looked at each other, with all the shared understanding that twins seem to have.   
"We'll see you later, Kari. We have to pick up Izzy at the airport and get to the place to set up. T.K.'s picking you up later, right?"   
"Mm-hmm."   
"See you then." 

Kari lounged on the couch after they had left, smiling at the prospect of an afternoon with T.K. but… Sudden suspicion drew her up short. What had her two siblings wanted to talk about? She recognised the look that had passed between them. They wanted to talk about something. 

~~~~~ 

"Did you have the dream?" Tai slammed the door shut.   
"Which one?"   
"Don't kid around with me, Maia. You know which one."   
She sighed deeply. "Yeah. I do."   
He waited for her to go on, and raised an eyebrow inquiringly.   
"Don't look at me like that, Tai. I have no idea why Gennai told us that…" She trailed off and shrugged. "I really don't know what we can do. I have no idea why he told **us** though. You would think that he would tell T.K."   
"And what, foretell his death?" Tai rubbed his forehead.   
"I guess you're right. All we can do now is go with the flow and hope everything turns out for the best."   
"The best way isn't always the happiest way."   
"Then we'll just have to hope." 

They looked up at the crunch of shoes on the gravel outside the apartment building. Sora. She looked very seriously at them. "Did you have the dream?" 

~~~~~ 

T.K. pushed his chair back from the table where he had been playing cards with Susan. "I'll see you later, Suz. I told Kari I'd go to lunch with her."   
Susan hardly looked up, immersed in building a house of cards. "OK. Are you coming back later, or are you staying out?"   
"Staying out for awhile. Mom knows."   
"It's your head and skin if you haven't told Aunt Nancy."   
T.K. sighed exasperatedly. "She's my mom, Susan. I told her." 

~~~~~ 

"But is it important?" Sora frowned at them from the backseat of the car.   
Maia shrugged. "Dreams would be pretty important if we all had the same one."   
"But…" continued Tai, "Did anyone else have the dream besides us?"   
"No idea."   
Maia added a thought. "It all comes to a head tonight. We can't do anything now, so we've just gotta hope that everything will work out."   
The sleek car continued its way down the freeway to the airport. 

~~~~~ 

Izzy paced in front of the luggage belt, waiting for his bags. Strange things had been happening that week, even while he had been away on a brief business trip. If he hadn't seen weirder things than what he thought might be happening, he might even be worried. Strange. Important things always seemed to happen all at once. 

He finally saw his bags and dragged them off the conveyor belt, grunting his thanks when Tai showed up and helped. 

~~~~~ 

Kari greeted T.K. at the door and gave him a quick kiss.   
"So, where do you want to go for lunch?" he asked lightly.   
"Anywhere. Preferably romantic."   
"I know just the place." 

~~~~~ 

"So we chow down on sushi while T.K. and Kari get to have a romantic dinner by candlelight?" complained Davis.   
"It's hardly late enough for dinner," Cody reminded him.   
"Lunch, then."   
"Give them a break. They just got over a huge fight, after all."   
"Whatever, Yolei."   
Sora peered around the door. "Is that sushi? Any extra?"   
Davis handed her a box of sushi. "Is everyone here yet?"   
"Izzy and Maia should be coming up, and Tai's parking the car. Matt called to say that he'd be up soon. So did Ken."   
"Great."   
"So all we're waiting for are the two lovebirds?" asked Yolei.   
"What, aren't you waiting for me?"   
"Mimi!" exclaimed Sora. "What are you doing here?"   
"We had a photo shoot downtown by the tower. Great view. I bumped into Joe too, and he told me about the gathering today. He says he'll be over as soon as his shift at the hospital is done." 

~~~~~ 

Kari rested her head on T.K.'s shoulder. "That was a nice place."   
"Your family suggested it."   
"Really?"   
He smiled and waved for her to get into the passenger seat.   
"So, where should we go?" asked T.K.   
"Mm… Well, I did hear that Mimi might come, and we should get her a gift…"   
"Gotcha."   
The car hummed off down the street. 

~~~~~ 

"The time comes…" Gennai slowly closed his eyes, anticipating their pain. 

A car screamed out of a side street and barrelled headlong into their car. 

~~~~~ 

The second of impact. Kari saw so many possibilities.   
They both died.   
They both lived.   
She knelt, sobbing over T.K.'s corpse.   
All her friends and family attended her funeral as T.K. wept.   
Each one a distinct chance, hazy with indecisiveness.   
Thousands of possibilities, stretching off into the future, flickering past her mind in a single instant. They merged into brilliant white light that became a roaring blackness. 

~~~~~ 

Darkness. Kari slowly opened her eyes and was overwhelmingly aware of the crimson smell of blood. Blood dripped from a long gash in her arm. She shifted to look at T.K.   
"Oh my god…T.K. are you alright?"   
He groaned faintly. He had been badly injured and blood dripped down his cheek.   
Kari heard the faint wail of a siren in the distance. "It's okay, T.K. Don't try to move." She bit her lip. His injuries looked horrible. The car had crashed into the side of theirs.   
An ambulance howled up by their car. "Everyone all right?" Joe leaped out of the ambulance. Another medic went over to the other car. "Get a stretcher over here! We've got a guy in pretty bad shape!" Joe yelled back at the medics. He offered a hand to Kari. "Didn't expect to see you here. C'mon Kari, get out of that wreck." The other medics rushed over and gently began to get the unconscious T.K. onto a stretcher. The other driver appeared to be okay except for a few cuts and bruises. A policeman was talking to several eyewitnesses.   
"Is T.K. going to be okay?" asked Kari anxiously.   
Joe's brow was furrowed. "I hope so, Kari. We'll do our best. We'd better take a look at you too." He bundled her into the ambulance.   
That ride, listening to T.K.'s laboured breathing, was probably the longest that she had ever taken. 

She kissed his forehead lightly. 

At least T.K. was alive.   
For now… 

And so was she. 

And that was all that mattered. 

~~~~~   


Maia: I would have loved to end it right there, but then, several people would be after my blood and screaming: "What happened to T.K.!?! All questions answered tomorrow. Epilogue goes up April 11, 2003. Don't read it if you like the ending already. (but that should go without saying) ^_^   



	9. Epilogue: Before the Beginning, After th...

Maia: Sorry for being late, everyone! Computers can choose the most inconvenient times to die on you... XP   
Other notes can wait. Final chapter! Questions are finally answered...   


**Epilogue: Before the Beginning – After the end**

It was a beautiful summer's day indeed. 

Kari sat bolt upright in bed, rubbing her forehead. It had been that dream again, of the car crash. She could almost still smell the stench of blood. The counsellor had said it might be a long time before the dreams ever completely left her. It had been a traumatic accident, after all. 

"Morning," called Maia. "Where you off to today, Kari?"   
"I dunno. Around."   
Kari sat down at the table, pondering on that day.   
"Maia-"   
The elder girl turned. "You've got that look on your face again. There wasn't anything you could have done the day of the accident, so stop thinking about it, Kari. There wasn't anything anyone could have done. Joe did his best and you know it."   
"I know." Kari looked soberly down at the table.   
"You can't imagine how scared we all were when Joe called from the hospital and said that you two had been in an accident. I think T.K.'s mom fainted when Matt told her."   
"I'm sorry."   
"Don't be. It was that other guy's fault. At least he didn't get off too lightly. So, who's driving you?"   
"I think Cody's driving."   
"OK." Maia sat across from Kari and smiled. "Don't look so glum, Kari. Look at it this way," Maia turned her gaze out the window, "It's a beautiful summer day, you got over a huge fight with your boyfriend and you both managed to survive a terrible car accident. So T.K. is in a wheelchair for now. Who cares?" 

Kari looked up at Maia and grinned slowly. She was right. 

She and T.K. were both alive. 

They had their friends and family, 

And their love for each other. 

And that was all that really mattered.   


**End**   


Final notes: 

Freaked you out for a couple seconds there, huh? Well anyway, this project – One Week – is over. Thanks go out to Sephira, silverwing, TogetherAgain, Takari's Baybee, Malcolm Yuy, and everyone else who reviewed for bearing with me through all the writer's block and stuff. Until my next project- Ciao! 

~ Maia Webmistress   
  



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